The hardest part about programming is...

I'll start this list.

The hardest part about programming is conceiving ten perfectly good ideas and throwing nine of them away.

-Josh

Programming is easy, design is hard.

@brian.shapiro: I think that I understand where you are going. If you were to split the world into two parts, finding the problem and offering a solution, what would you call the later, in terms of a process?

-Josh

<snip source="wikipedia">

Hoc and Nguyen-Xuan define computer programming as "the process of transforming a mental plan in familiar terms into one compatible with the computer."

</snip>

That empty feeling inside when you have to defer to code you did not write.

@JoshRoss: As a corallary, "Forcing yourself to follow the concept of YAGNI."

Hi, I'm ScanIAm, I'm a GoldPlateAholic.

15 minutes ago, MasterPie wrote

That empty feeling inside when you have to defer to code you did not write.

++

@MasterPie: The best code is no code. If I find someone's more elegant solution to a problem, I take it. For example, LINQ to anything; I've written all sorts of things, prior to LINQ, that could just be thrown away now.

-Josh

58 minutes ago, JoshRoss wrote

@brian.shapiro: I think that I understand where you are going. If you were to split the world into two parts, finding the problem and offering a solution, what would you call the later, in terms of a process?

-Josh

<snip source="wikipedia">

Hoc and Nguyen-Xuan define computer programming as "the process of transforming a mental plan in familiar terms into one compatible with the computer."

</snip>

 

What would you say the difference is between coding and programming? In my view the two are pretty similar concepts.

Design is about working out the interface -- whether thats the user interface, some cross-application interface, the interface of the different parts of one program, or different processes of one function. Programming is going about and implementing that design. I consider it to be more about knowing a skillset than about creativity, its the most tedious and boring part of making a piece of software.

@JoshRoss:

1) Taking up the courage to start from scratch.

2) Resisting the urge of doing that endlessly.

14 hours ago, brian.​shapiro wrote

What would you say the difference is between coding and programming? In my view the two are pretty similar concepts.

Design is about working out the interface -- whether thats the user interface, some cross-application interface, the interface of the different parts of one program, or different processes of one function. Programming is going about and implementing that design. I consider it to be more about knowing a skillset than about creativity, its the most tedious and boring part of making a piece of software.

 

I'm not completely sure where I fall on this. Coding seems like writing a snip-it, when I see coding, I think Coding Horror.

As far as how I think how design and programming fit together, I feel that design is when someone else does that part. IMHO, when you are a one man show, it's all programming.

-Josh

Accepting the fact that the ever complex Visual Studio, .Net framework, WPF, etc. is the best Microsoft (and the rest of the world) has to offer for writing compelling yet cost effective apps. Hey at least we're super-de-duper strongly typed!

And... working with people who re-write everything in the most overcomplex, academic way because someday you are gonna need to that way -- you know just in case you decide to replace x with y -- and yet never seem to get anything done. I'm all for seperation of concerns and each layer performing a specific role but sometimes people get too carried away -- especially those who suffer from the "not invented here" syndrome. 

You know this post has inspired me... I think I'm gonna start a new blog named "Breast Practices" where I mix some common sense programming techniques with some mouth watering pr0n.

@DeathByVisualStudio: I would like to subscribe to your newsletter...

Seriously, though, I get your point about overcomplication.  Stuff like NInject and MSFT's Unity are useful tools if you need to unit test parts of the application, so I do understand their usefulness, but I've seen them seriously overused on projects.

Oh, and another 'hardest part' is coming in to a project after a number of 'clever' folks have had their way with the design and chose not to document what that design was.  Spending a few months feeling like an idiot while you try to wrap  your brain around their 'clever' coding is a giant suckfest.

Realising that just because you can does NOT mean you must! 

Getting square pegs into round holes

Working without requirements.

The hardest part of programming is debugging.

Without using a OUIJA board, trying to divine your predecessor's intent when he wrote that glop.  Also, trying not to become violently ill when confronted with what passes for "documentation."